Love's Power

Chapter 11

The cottage itself was enchanting. Small stain glass windows surrounded by glazed stone walls and polished wooden frames. A stone pathway lined with colorful flowers led to the door, which was decorated with engravings, and more flowers surrounded the rest of the house. The start of the path was overlooked by a high archway of stone and vines.

The six princesses were in complete awe. Mint was the first one to say something. "This is definitely the enchantress's cottage." Words were not needed to agree with her. "Come on!" Pudding leaped off her and Retasu's horse and raced for the entrance. "Pudding, wait!" "Pudding!" One by one, all the girls got off their horses and followed the younger girl, though not before making sure their steads were secure. Just as Pudding was about to yank the door open, Amai stretched out her hand, using magic to freeze the hyper princess in her tracks.

"Oh, come on, Amai! I want to go in!" Pudding whined. Amai laughed a bit. "I know, I know, but at least wait for the rest of us?" Pudding's cheeks puffed. Ichigo got to the front first, then with a breath, opened the door.

Stepping inside, the first thing the princesses saw was darkness. But as soon as Amai stepped past the doorway, everything lit up like daytime. Six pairs of eyes sparkled with wonder, the cottage being more enchanting on the inside than the outside. Cozy chairs, light wooden tables, floating candles and glossy flowers made up the main sitting room. A lovely kitchen in the space across with enough space for the six girls. There were six bedrooms, like the house was expecting six visitors. Out in the back was a gorgeous garden with vegetables and fruits. Everything was purely magical.

"Wow." Ichigo breathed out, dropping her bag on the floor, numb from amazement. Mint immediately went over to a chair, sitting down. "Oh, this is more like it." She curled up in comfort on soft plush under her body. Pudding dragged Retasu over to the garden to look at the food growing, and Zakuro admired the rooms.

Amai just stood there. Her eyes took in everything around her. This place... it felt so much like home to her. Like she belonged here all her life, not in a castle. She didn't know why. She just felt it.

"Amai, can you help us with unpacking?" Snapping out of her thoughts, she looked to her sisters. She smiled. "Yes." The next hour was spent getting unpacked and settled. The girls took their time exploring the cottage, finding wonder after wonder. Old vials of mysterious potions, crystals and stones, scrolls. The small but wide bookshelf that resided in a corner of Amai's room was filled with old books, most of which possessed spells and potion recipes in them. A few held tales of ancient times of other magic users, which fascinated the girls greatly. They made mental notes to dig into the books soon.

"Hey, look at this." Retasu called in the middle of their exploring. All the princesses gathered around a portrait in the hallway, hanging about six feet above the ground. The subject of the painting was a beautiful young woman, who when looked at closely, bore a strong resemblance to Amai. Her hair was long and white, skin fair, and her eyes were nearly the same color as Amai's, just darker. She wore a dress of pale sea green and had jewels scattered across her head. The girls were in awe of her.

"That's got to be the enchantress." Ichigo said. "She looks just like you, Amai!" Pudding pointed out, moving her finger back and forth at the painting and her sister. Amai stared at it. It seemed like the enchantresses' eyes were looking right at her through the painting, and only at her. She felt drawn to those eyes, like they were telling something that she alone had to know.

Amai

The voice, there it was again! It was so soft, and so alluring...

"Amai... Amai?" Hands gently shook her back into reality. "Amai, are you okay?" "What?" Amai faced her blue-haired sister, who was frowning worriedly. "You zoned out. We asked you what you thought of the portrait."

"Oh, I... I think it's lovely and magical." Amai looked at it again. "Excuse me." She turned on her heel and left, heading towards the garden outside. Her sisters stared after her.
"Um, is it just me, or does she seem a little, dazed, since we got here?" Ichigo wondered out loud. Zakuro looked at the painting. "There's about this enchantress and this place that's part of it. Perhaps something with her magic?" It was silent for a moment. Retasu softly spoke. "Let's not get too deep into it just yet. I mean, we just got here, and we're all tired. Maybe we should get something to eat and go to bed."

No one argued. The princesses headed off to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Amai gazed up at the bright stars hanging above the earth, lost in thought. There was so much going through her brain, she didn't know where to start thinking. The enchantress, the mysterious voice, being in a safe house against Deep Blue, Kisshu...

Kisshu.

In her daze of the cottage, she'd almost forgotten about contacting him. Thinking quickly, she swirled her hands around in a pattern, magic following her movements. In seconds, a beautiful little bronze fawn appeared, its body glowing dimly. Bending down, Amai placed a hand on its head, closing her eyes. In her mind, she said what she wanted to say to Kisshu, then let go of the fawn. Knowing its purpose and who to find, the creature leaped off into the woods, its glow dying as to not draw any unwanted attention. Crystal eyes glittered, anxious for the fawn to complete its mission safely. Sighing, she walked back into the cottage, ready to finally rest peacefully.